The Inaugural Chip & Dale Marathon Relay: A Review Part 1

Disney inaugural races are difficult to resist. First, there is the thrill of the unknown”¦the promise of a new course through one or more theme parks. Second is the bling…that new race medal, which few Disney running fans can resist. These are powerful motivators, so when the new Chip and Dale Half Marathon Relay was announced, we knew that we had to do it.

The inaugural Chip and Dale Marathon Relay took place on Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Sunday. It was held on the same day as the Walt Disney World Marathon and the two races shared pretty much the same course, but there were obvious differences.

Before the race, there was little information about how the relay was organized. We learned general information about the Relay Exchange area, but had many questions about the specifics, such as, how would partners find each other; how would the person doing Leg 2 get to the Relay Exchange area; and how would each runner gather his/her belongings after the race (since they were going to end up at a finish area other than where they started)?

Several questions were answered when runDisney sent final race instructions about a month before the race. Other questions were answered when we picked up our numbers at the Health & Fitness Expo. Most of what we learned made sense, but when they handed us an 8″ x 8″ Mylar and nylon mat when we checked in, we quickly realized that there was going to be one big problem; both runners had to report to the race wait area in the early morning hours. Runner 2 would be bussed to the Relay Exchange area and wait several hours before running in Leg 2 of the Mararathon Relay. That Mylar mat? That was meant for Runner 2. It would serve as a seat to relax upon in the Ticket and Transportation Center Parking Lot area where the Relay Exchange area was set up.

The following is a personal account regarding each leg of the race.

Go back with us now to the morning of the Marathon Relay and relive our adventure.

Mike: Walking to the Start

My role on Sunday was to cover the first leg of the race. With all Walt Disney World races, the long walk to the corrals was a necessary evil. With some six thousand fewer runners than Saturday’s Half Marathon, the walk seemed more palatable than the day before. I knew the course would be different than the previous day’s race, but was not quite sure just how different.

Michelle: Getting to the Relay Exchange Area

I was grateful that Mike suggested that I run Leg 2 of this race, as this would allow me to travel through a route different from the day before and would also allow me a few more hours of rest and recovery before attempting another half marathon. That’s what I thought, at least but, as mentioned above, in reality, the Leg 2 runners were asked to arrive with their partners early in the morning, catch a bus over to the Relay Exchange area, and wait on complimentary little mats. We assumed this was necessary because of the need to close several roads during Sunday’s race. What this meant was that, instead of sleeping in and taking a bus from my resort later on to the Relay Exchange area, I had to get up early and, like all Leg 1 runners, arrived at EPCOT by about 4:30 a.m. This was the only way the race officials could ensure that Leg 2 runners would be where they needed to be.

I’m not going to pretend that I relished the idea of sitting in a parking lot, even a WDW parking lot, for many hours. Many of my running buddies did just this. I was lucky enough to visit with a friend who was staying at the Polynesian and was able to wait out the time in comfort. While I understand the reasoning behind this decision by runDisney, I believe that there should be more comfortable accommodations made for the Leg 2 folks. One running friend told me that she spent four hours asleep on the pavement sandwiched between two pieces of Mylar. Not a great way to start a race.

Mike: The Course Early On

Like the day before, I was anxious to start. I looked around in my corral and noticed bibs for the Marathon, Marathon Relay, and Goofy Challenge. Once the corral in front of me took off, I turned on my iPod and started my playlist. Mickey Mouse made the countdown and then fireworks and my corral were soon off. I noticed that we spent a good amount of time running around the outside of Epcot before eventually entering the front turnstiles. We ran past Spaceship Earth, up to World Showcase Plaza, took a left, and entered World Showcase, and approached the Mexico Pavilion. We did not spend much time in World Showcase, as we soon found ourselves running backstage and I realized what was coming.

After the first three miles I found myself running the reverse of the last seven miles of the Half Marathon course from the day before. If you are familiar with that course, then you may recall a hill here and there and the cloverleaf ramp before World Drive.

What was nice about this trek up to The Magic Kingdom was that, unlike the day before, daylight had made its presence felt while we were on World Drive. The day before we found ourselves running up World Drive in the dark. I must say, daylight and a reduced running field made for an enjoyable run to The Magic Kingdom.

Michelle: Waiting at the Relay Exchange Area

The Relay Exchange area was very quiet compared to the regular race start area, but runDisney set up a huge video screen, which rotated through different parts of the race. There was also a DJ as well. It was nice to hang out with some Team AllEars folks while I waited.

I checked a bag with Mike’s belongings before I headed to the corrals (this was a very small area and went smoothly). The race directions were not clear regarding where we were to stand, but we figured it out by asking other runners.

Bib numbers dictated where the Leg 2 runners stood and since partners had sequential numbers, I placed myself where Mike was supposed to come in. However, as I mentioned above, most of the Leg 1 runners didn’t know this, so I observed many of them running towards us, checking their bib numbers to figure out where to go.

Mike: The Magic Kingdom and Beyond

As I approached the Magic Kingdom, I realized that today I would be on mile 11 as I ran up Main Street, USA. The day before, while approaching the castle, I was on mile 6. Even though I had run up Main Street USA 24 hours earlier, it was still thrilling to do it all over again. I think I speak for all runners when I say that no matter how fatigued you are, when you turn the corner and run up Main Street USA with guests cheering and music playing, you feel an energy boost that has no equal.

At one point I thought I had a chance to achieve a Personal Record (PR), but it was just that, a chance and that faded rather quickly as my body began telling me that today might not be the day. I was approaching my 30th mile in the last 48 hours. As I left the Magic Kingdom I had about 2.5 miles to go before I would get to the Relay Exchange and pass the virtual baton to Michelle.

As I was running down Grand Floridian Way, I noticed one of the Polynesian Longhouses and looked for signs directing me to the Relay Exchange area. With about a mile to go, a sign and a cast member indicated that full marathoners stay in the right lane and marathon relay runners to shift to the left lane. This was awesome. I had the whole left side of the road to myself and it felt great…but I was dragging a bit. The calendar said January but the thermometer made it feel like a warmer month.

Eventually I saw some yellow cones and a cast member telling me to head to the left. There were more cones giving me a path to what was the Exchange Area. I was almost there.

I could not see Michelle but noticed signs with number ranges. Obviously I needed to look for the sign that had a range in which my number bib fell. I found it and Michelle waiting for me with camera in hand.

I was about five minutes early from my predicted finish. When I caught up to her we ran for about 20 yards before coming up to a race official who waved Michelle on and directed me towards the area where I would receive my medal.

Come back tomorrow for Part 2!

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